The field of art to which this invention pertains is the hydrocracking of a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock having a propensity to form 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds without excessively fouling the processing unit. The 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds are considered to be refractory in a hydrocracking process, are thereby highly resistant to conversion in a hydrocracking reaction zone and are therefore undesirable components in the feed or recycle to a hydrocracking reaction zone. More specifically, the invention relates to a catalytic hydrocracking process which comprises: (a) contacting a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock having a propensity to form 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds and a liquid recycle stream in a hydrocracking zone with added hydrogen and a metal promoted hydrocracking catalyst at elevated temperature and pressure sufficient to gain a substantial conversion to lower boiling products; (b) partially condensing the hydrocarbon effluent from the hydrocracking zone and separating the same into a lower boiling hydrocarbon product stream and an unconverted hydrocarbon stream boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) and comprising trace quantities of 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds; (c) introducing at least a portion of the unconverted hydrocarbon stream boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) and comprising trace quantities of 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds into a 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compound conversion zone containing a zeolitic hydrogenation catalyst having pore openings in the range from about 8 to about 15 Angstroms (10.sup.-10 meters), a hydrogenation component and an intercalated clay component operated at conditions to selectively reduce the concentration of 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds; (d) condensing at least a portion of the resulting effluent from the conversion zone to produce a liquid stream comprising hydrogenated hydrocarbonaceous compounds and having a reduced concentration of 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds compared to the unconverted hydrocarbon stream introduced into the 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compound conversion zone; and (e) recycling at least a portion of the liquid stream comprising hydrogenated hydrocarbonaceous compounds recovered in step (d) to the hydrocracking zone in step (a) as at least a portion of the liquid recycle stream.